With the summer of 2020 in full swing as we continue to navigate the past few months, we have all enjoyed a number of indulgences from taking up new projects, hobbies, self-care, cooking and creating an array of beverages. We took some time to chat with Cupcake Vineyard's Head Winemaker, Jessica Tomei to talk about their wines, their newest range within the Better For You Catgeory as well as insight into harvest season.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve been a fan of Cupcake Wines since 2010, and around that time, our team was invited to a wine pairing dinner at a restaurant here in NYC. It was the first time that we were introduced to Angel Food and Red Velvet as well as additional wines that are in your portfolio along with 6-8 dishes for dinner. It really gave great insight into what the brand was about. Can you tell our readers about this wine label?
JESSICA TOMEI: Cupcake Vineyards launched in 2008. We are a brand that is all about finding the joyful moments in life. We’re a globally grown brand that is based in California. We travel the world to ensure that the most desirable grapes are being used in Cupcake Wine. We like to see the glass as full of possibilities, to strive to make wines that are worth celebrating and are delicious. As a winemaker, we work really hard to make wines that pair well with your friends, your family and delicious food. Some of the wines that we make are from California so we have our Monterey County Chardonnay, Central Coast Pinot Noir, we do a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand from the Marlborough region – we have so many varietals that we get to play with. We have a variety of reds, whites, rosé, our cans and now we have our Cupcake Light Hearted.
AM: Can you tell us about your background, how you came into the wine industry and what makes Cupcake Vineyards feel like the right place for your creations?
JT: I was born and raised in California. I’m a 3rd generation Californian. I grew up in a very close knit Italian and Greek family. Food and wine was always a part of our get togethers. When I attended UC Davis, I was actually premed. I was drawn to their Viticulture and Enology program. I took a class there in wine and I realized that this was really for me and I earned my Bachelor’s Degree there and since then, I’m going into my 25th harvest season as I do 2 harvests a year. I’ve worked in Italy and then in Chile and they have an opposite harvest than us. I have worked all over California including Sonoma, Napa and now the Central Coast. Working on Cupcake has been a culmination of my career because I’m able to make wines from California as well as all around the world which is a great fit.
AM: What does being a head winemaker entail and what are either your day to day tasks that you do or even season to season?
JT: What I love about it is that everyday is different. Especially during this time of year when you are in harvest. A week in the life of a winemaker, I’m checking the grapes on the vineyard and then I go to the winery and work with our team there finalizing blends from 2019 and getting those ready to bottle. We’re preparing the winery right now to receive the new harvest – including barrel orders and supplies for harvest.
During harvest which will start in about a month and a half, I’ll make pick decisions and monitor the fermentations and then we start to process all of our allocating and blending the lots that will be the next vintage of cupcake. Every day is different, but it’s all very joyful.
AM: What is your favorite time of year during the wine season?
JT: Harvest is my favorite time because it’s really the birth of a new vintage, but it’s also the culmination of a growing season. To me, it’s like we’re taking all of the hard work that our vineyard team has done from Dec – Sept and it’s our job to turn that into a delicious glass of wine for our customers. I love that in wine, we have the ability to encapsulate time basically and all the hard work that goes into that. We’ll be drinking vintage 2019 soon and we’ll be like, “remember life before COVID-19?”
AM: There are a number of playful elements about Cupcake Vineyards that allows people to enjoy wine at an approachable price point with a lot of flavor, why is that an essential element to this brand?
JT: It’s important that we are creating something that is accessible to everyone and still premium, fun and delicious. I think that we have this joyful philosophy that is at the core of this brand. The playful elements really brings this to life. Since I’ve worked with Cupcake, we have had a few different taglines like “Live Deliciously,” “Treat Today,” and now, “Choose Joy.” All of those are core to what we do as they’re all delightful and delicious. So, it’s the perfect wine to celebrate life’s joyful moments without having a huge price tag where you can celebrate daily.
AM: Cupcake Lighthearted launched in early July, what was the concept behind bringing this to market?
JT: I’m a super active mom with active kids and I hike, run, Peleton and love being outdoors and really healthy. I wanted to have something that was lower in calories and alcohol that still tasted delicious and there weren’t really any wines in the market that compared in that category. I love the fact that with Lighthearted, it’s super delicious, fruit forward and you can pour a glass on a weeknight and not feel like you’ve thrown yourself off of your routine where you can’t get up the next morning and get on your Peleton. It’s lower alcohol which makes it great also. It is vegan friendly, gluten free, 8% alcohol, less than 1g of sugar per serving and only 80 calories. This afternoon, I'm going to take my kids to the pool and it's a great drink for me to have on a fun afternoon.
AM: When you think about the Better For You category, as a winemaker, is it difficult or a different process when you have your regular wines and then you’re making this portion of the portfolio which have these elements for people with various dietary habits that are able to enjoy it?
JT: Just like with all of our Cupcake Wines, it starts in the vineyard. With Cupcake Lighthearted, we’re picking it earlier in the season than our fuller alcohol wines. So, when you pick earlier in the season, you have lower brix (editors note: a brix value, express as degrees °Bx, is the number of grams of sucrose present per 100 grams of liquid) level and when that lower brix level ferments, it’s a lower alcohol. The brix is basically the initial sugar in the wine and that ferments to alcohol. So if you have a lower sugar level to begin with, then you’ll have a lower alcohol.
AM: COVID-19 has obviously impacted a lot of things for people within travel and hospitality. Is there going to be an impact in general in terms of wine production?
JT: We are considered as essential as part of being in agriculture. We’ve always in terms of the production side and everything have prioritized safety and are taking the necessary precautions to ensure that our vineyards, cellar, wine making teams stay and safe and healthy as a priority. Yes, we will continue to produce those wines here.
JT: I wish I could! But I can’t divulge any details now, but I PROMISE that we have some fun things in the works.
AM: This past Spring, another one that we enjoyed is the Cava Sparkling which I think pairs so well with so many dishes, is fun to drink alone or even with a snack like gourmet popcorn. Are there additional wines that you are able to share that will be launching that we should keep an eye out for?
AM: Our 3 favorites are Angel Food, Moscato and Red Velvet. What are your 3 favorite wines from this brand?
JT: That’s so hard, it’s like choosing your favorite child but I can tell you one that’s my go to right now. I really love our Monterey County Chardonnay. I love that it really does speak to the region where it’s from. It has a higher acidity, really nice mouth feel, barrel fermented it goes through partial malolactic fermentation (editor’s note: a secondary fermentation known as MLF, is the process in which malic acid in wine is converted to lactic acid) and it’s really lemony and has hints of vanilla.
PHOTOS COURTESY | Cupcake Vineyards
Read the July Issue of Athleisure Mag #55 and see Keep it Delicious with Jessica Tomei in mag.
Hear Cupcake Vineyards Head Winemaker, Jessica Tomei on our show, Bungalow SK - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.
